CISD schools' views differ on top ten law

Published 6:00 pm, Sunday, February 13, 2005

Other educators, however, say they want the current law to stay in place because it opens doors for students who might not otherwise be able to go to college.

State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, for the second legislative session in a row, filed a bill to do away with a law that guarantees high school seniors in the top 10 percent of their graduating class automatic admission to any state institution of higher learning in Texas. Wentworth has called the "Top 10 Percent" law, which was enacted when the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1996 made affirmative action in admissions illegal in Texas, unfair and unnecessary.

"That is essentially and by definition an unfair system which cries for reform," Wentworth said when he filed the bill Feb. 1.

But even within the Conroe Independent School District, opinions differ on whether the law should be repealed or kept in place.

At Caney Creek High School, the "Top 10 Percent" law has made a difference to many students who might not otherwise be able to gain admission to a state university, Principal Greg Poole said.

"There is no doubt that the 10 percent rule, as it stands now, provides opportunities for my students that they otherwise did not have," he said. "It absolutely has been beneficial as it stands.

"From our campus perspective, it has been a very positive piece of legislation. It has opened doors that might not have been opened."

This year's graduating class at CCHS has 335 seniors, which will give 33 students the right to automatically go to The University of Texas, Texas A&M University or the state college of their choice. This year, CISD has a new weighted grade point scale in place, putting students taking honors and pre-Advanced Placement classes on a 5.0 scale, while those taking Advanced Placement and dual credit classes are on a 6 point scale.

The CCHS seniors currently in the school's top 10 percent have grade point averages ranging from 4.84 to 3.84, according to counselor Diane Hernandez. Only those students taking classes included in the new weighted grade point scale have made it into the top 10 percent, she said.

But at The Woodlands High School, where the graduating class is more than three times the size of Caney Creek's, a hundredth of a percentage point can be all in making it into the top 10 percent - or not.

Getting rid of the "Top 10 Percent" law would be a benefit for TWHS students, according to Principal Gregg Colschen.

"What it creates is a competition (within the school)," he said. "(The repeal) would allow our kids to compete with kids from other Texas high schools."

About 75 percent of TWHS seniors go on to a four-year colleges or universities immediately after high school, according to Colschen. Last year, more than 80 went to The University of Texas, while 66 went to Texas A&M University.

"We're well over the top 10 percent limit," Colschen said. "But, a lot of those kids have to wait until the top 10 kids have committed to one of those universities."

In December, there were 1,151 seniors at TWHS, and the top 10 percent grade point average was 4.4545 or higher, according to information from Associate Principal Bonnie Hilburn.

State Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, has filed his own "Top 10 Percent" legislation. His bill would allow the governing board of a university system with more than one campus, such as The University of Texas or Texas A&M, to adopt a policy that would treat applications by top 10 percent graduates as "an application for admission to any general academic teaching institution in the system."

In other words, a student who has his or her heart set on attending The University of Texas at Austin could instead be given admission to the university's Arlington campus.

"What's wrong with that?" Eissler asked. "If he continues his dream, then he transfers into the school he wants. By making the admission system-wide, you keep all the campuses competitive and you allow for less duplication of programs. There's an ever-diminishing number of seats for top 10 percenters (at UT-Austin or Texas A&M-College Station). My bill keeps those doors opened.

"Why should judicious choosing of courses put you ahead of someone who might be better qualified?"

Poole thinks schools should at least add one additional qualifier to top 10 percent graduates, such as Scholastic Aptitude Test scores.

"We would not have any issue with having to validate the quality of our program with SAT or at least ACT scores, " he said.

"Instead of eliminating the top 10 percent, if you can ensure diversity but maintain quality, who can argue with that?"